I Choose To Be Unapologetically Authentic
Mar 25, 2021
I’ve always been a unicorn.
I am a hybrid of wonderfulness.
I’m a classical soprano who sings in five languages and who can speak in a sixth language that will show you exactly where I’m from if you come for me or someone whom I love.
Growing up I spent an equal amount of time on the basketball court as in dance classes. Hence I am probably the only soprano who you’ll meet who can hit a high C and an outside jumper!
I sang Jazz for years to pay for my Classical voice lessons and to this day I will be the first one on the dance floor when the DJ drops Parliament’s Flashlight.
Yes…as a fair-skinned “cultured” young woman I’ve been told that I am not black enough.
And yes…as someone who will call out bullshit and racism in a heartbeat I’ve been accused of being aggressive or overly sensitive.
The truth is I‘ve had the benefit of the women in my family who represent every possible hue on the spectrum of humanity loving me fiercely, fighting for me, and holding me accountable while speaking greatness into me.
The men in my family represented the limitations, challenges, and triumphs that black men have faced in American. They ran the gamut from hard-working laborers to educators to college administrators.
And I am proud of and grateful to each and every one of them for loving me and being my protectors.
Yes…I always felt protected…my family was THAT family.
It’s true that many of the people from where I’m from didn’t “make it” as some might say that I have…
But they made me who I am today and I love each and every one of them.
I am not an “honorary white woman” or somehow “different” or “special.”
I am a black woman.
I am equally comfortable…
- Coaching entrepreneurs or corporate clients
- Traveling internationally
- Being on the stage as a speaker or a performer
- Being on retreat meditating in silence at a Benedictine Monastery
- Celebrating my friends when they find love no matter whom they choose to love
- Learning about how my friends observe Passover, Christmas, Kwanza,
Ramadan, or whatever is important to them - Attending High Tea, A Barbeque, or A Chinese New Year Celebration
I am a woman who loves who I am enough to be interested in how other people show up in the world…AND…to stand up and speak out against any kind of ism that threatens the humanity and safety of another.
